Stereoscopic measurement system and method

ABSTRACT

A stereoscopic measurement system captures stereo images and determines measurement information for user-designated points within stereo images. The system comprises an image capture device for capturing stereo images of an object. A processing system communicates with the capture device to receive stereo images. The processing system displays the stereo images and allows a user to select one or more points within the stereo image. The processing system processes the designated points within the stereo images to determine measurement information for the designated points.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority in and is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/125,801, entitled Stereoscopic MeasurementSystem and Method, the entire contents of which are incorporated hereinby reference. This application is related to co-pending, co-owned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/125,794, entitled StereoscopicMeasurement System and Method, filed on May 22, 2008; and to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/125,809, entitled Stereoscopic MeasurementSystem and Method, filed on May 22, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,249,332;wherein the entire contents of both applications are incorporated hereinby reference.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

Stereoscopic imaging, or stereoscopy, is used to obtainthree-dimensional information about an object based on a pair oftwo-dimensional images of that object. In general, stereoscopic imaginginvolves visually combining at least two images of an object, taken fromslightly different viewpoints, to produce the illusion ofthree-dimensional depth. By obtaining the two stereo images fromslightly different perspectives, coordinate locations of desiredmeasurement points identified in both images can be more accuratelydetermined.

Stereoscopic imaging is the basis for photogrammetry, which involvesproducing stereograms or a pair of stereo images of an object in orderto determine geometric properties and/or measurement information aboutthe object. Photogrammetry is used in various fields, such asmanufacturing, architectural surveying, building preservation, andarchaeology in order to obtain measurement information for an object ofinterest. When obtaining measurements between particular measurementpoints on a desired object via photogrammetry, it is generally requiredthat the same measurement points are designated in both images to obtainaccurate measurement information.

With the advent of digital image sensors, computer-based imageprocessing techniques have been developed and applied to photogrammetry.However, the increase in digital image sensor resolution andadvancements in computer image-processing has not been efficientlyutilized for stereoscopic measurement purposes. Moreover, there is aneed for a stereoscopic processing system that allows a user to easilydesignate the same measurement points in stereo images of an object toobtain more accurate measurements.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, a system comprising modules executable with atleast one processor is provided for obtaining measurements of an object.The system comprises a memory to store a plurality of stereo images eachcomprising first and second images of a particular object. The systemfurther comprises a user interface (UI) module to generate a list of theplurality of stereo images for display, to generate corresponding firstand second images of a particular stereo image selected from the listfor display. The UI module is also configured to receive a first userinput designating a first measurement point in the corresponding firstimage, a second user input designating a second measurement point in thecorresponding first image, a third user input designating the firstmeasurement point along a selection assist line in the correspondingsecond image, and a fourth user input designating the second measurementpoint along another selection assist line in the corresponding secondimage. The system further comprises a point selection module to identifya range of points in the corresponding second image based on the firstmeasurement point designated in the corresponding first image, togenerate the selection assist line in the corresponding second imagebased on the range of points, to identify another range of points in thecorresponding second image based on the second measurement pointdesignated in the corresponding first image, and to generate the otherselection assist line in the corresponding second image based on theother range of points. The system further comprises a stereo pointmodule to define a first stereo point that corresponds to the firstmeasurement point designated in the corresponding first and secondimages and to define a second stereo point that corresponds to thesecond measurement point designated in the corresponding first andsecond images. The system also comprises a cross measure module tocalculate a distance between the first stereo point and the secondstereo point.

According to another aspect, a system comprising modules executable withat least one processor is provided for obtaining measurements from astereo image of an object. The stereo image comprises first and secondimages of the object. The system comprises a user interface (UI) moduleto generate the first image and the second image for display and toreceive a first user input designating a first measurement point in thefirst image and a second user input designating a second measurementpoint in the first image. The system further comprises a point selectionmodule to define a projection vector in the second image based on thefirst measurement point, to generate a selection assist line in thesecond image based on the projection vector, to identify anotherprojection vector in the second image based on the second measurementpoint, to generate another selection assist line in the second imagebased on the other projection vector, to determine first pixel valuesadjacent to the first measurement point, to compare the determined firstpixel values with other pixel values along the selection assist line todynamically identify a corresponding first measurement point in thesecond image with adjacent other pixel values that match the determinedfirst pixel values, to determine second pixel values adjacent to thesecond measurement point designated in the first image, and to comparethe determined second pixel values with second other pixel values alongthe other selection assist line to dynamically identify a correspondingsecond measurement point in the second image with adjacent other pixelvalues that match the determined second pixel values. The system furthercomprises a stereo point module to define a first stereo point thatcorresponds to the first measurement point designated in the first imageand identified in the second image and to define a second stereo pointthat corresponds to the second measurement point designated in the firstand identified in the second image. The system further comprises a crossmeasure module to calculate a distance between the first stereo pointand the second stereo point. The user interface is further configured todisplay the distance between the first stereo point and the secondstereo point.

According to another aspect, a method is provided for obtainingmeasurements from a stereo image of an object. The stereo imagecomprises first and second images of the object. The method comprisesdisplaying the first image and the second image. The method furthercomprises receiving a first user input designating a first measurementpoint in the first image and receiving a second user input designating asecond measurement point in the first image. The method furthercomprises identifying a range of points in the second image based on thefirst measurement point and identifying another range of points in thesecond image based on the second measurement point. The method furthercomprises generating a selection assist line in the second image basedon the range of points and generating another selection assist line inthe second image based on the other range of points. The method furthercomprises receiving a third user input designating the first measurementpoint in the second image along the selection assist line and a fourthuser input designating the second measurement point in the second imagealong the other selection assist line. The method further comprisesdefining a first stereo point that corresponds to the first measurementpoint designated in the first and second images and defining a secondstereo point that corresponds to the second measurement point designatedin the first and second images. The method also comprises calculating adistance between the first stereo point and the second stereo point.

According to another aspect, a method is provided for obtainingmeasurements from a stereo image of an object using at least oneprocessor. The stereo image comprises first and second images of theobject. The method comprises displaying the first image and the secondimage. The method further comprises receiving a user input designating afirst measurement point and another user input designating a secondmeasurement point in the first image. The method further comprisesidentifying a range of points in the second image based on the firstmeasurement point designated in the first image and identifying anotherrange of points in the second image based on the second measurementpoint designated in the first image. The method further comprisesgenerating a selection assist line in the second image based on therange of points and generating another selection assist line in thesecond image based on the other range of points. The method furthercomprises determining first pixel values adjacent to the firstmeasurement point designated in the first image and determining secondpixel values adjacent to the second measurement point designated in thefirst image. The method further comprises comparing the determined firstpixel values with other pixel values along the selection assist line todynamically identify a corresponding first measurement point in thesecond image with adjacent other pixel values that match the determinedfirst pixel values. The method further comprises comparing thedetermined second pixel values with second other pixel values along theother selection assist line to dynamically identify a correspondingsecond measurement point in the second image with adjacent second otherpixel values that match the determined second pixel values. The methodfurther comprises defining a first stereo point that corresponds to thefirst measurement point designated in the first image and identified inthe second image and defining a second stereo point that corresponds tothe second measurement point designated in the first image andidentified in the second image. The method also comprises calculating adistance between the first stereo point and the second stereo point.

According to another aspect, a system comprising modules executable withat least one processor is provided for obtaining measurements of anobject. The system comprises a memory to store a stereo image of theobject. The stereo image comprises first and second images of theobject. The system further comprises a user interface (UI) module togenerate the first and second images of the object for display. The UImodule is further configured to receive a first user input designating afirst set of points in a first stereo image pair and a second user inputdesignating a second set of points in a second stereo image pair,wherein the first stereo image pair comprises the first and secondimages of a portion of the object, and wherein the second stereo imagepair comprises other first and second images of an opposite portion ofthe object. The system further comprises a symmetry module configured todefine a central reference plane between the first set of points in thefirst stereo image pair and the second set of points in the secondstereo image pair and to calculate symmetry deviations between the firstset of points and the second set of points as a function of the definedcentral reference plane, and wherein the user interface component isconfigured to generate the symmetry deviations for display.

According to another aspect, a method is provided for obtainingmeasurements of an object using at least one processor. The methodcomprises storing a stereo image in a memory. The stereo image comprisesfirst and second images of the object. The method further comprisesdisplaying first and second images of the object. The method furthercomprises receiving a first user input designating a first set of pointsin a first stereo image pair and receiving a second user inputdesignating a second set of points in a second stereo image pair,wherein the first stereo image pair comprises the first and secondimages of a portion of the object, and wherein the second stereo imagepair comprises other first and second images of an opposite portion ofthe object. The method further comprises defining a central referenceplane between the first set of points in the first stereo image pair andthe second set of points in the second stereo image pair. The methodfurther comprises calculating symmetry deviations between the first setof points and the second set of points as a function of the definedcentral reference plane. The method also comprises displaying thesymmetry deviations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a stereoscopic measurement system inaccordance with an aspect of the present invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a stereo image capture deviceaccording to an aspect of the stereoscopic measurement system.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram of a stereoscopic measurement applicationaccording to one aspect of the stereoscopic measurement system.

FIGS. 3B-3D are image views of a camera sectioned for intrinsic cameracalibration.

FIG. 3E is an image of a vehicle with a central reference plane betweenselected points.

FIG. 3F is a geometric model for determining symmetry between selectedpoints on an image.

FIGS. 4A-4F are screen views of image management forms.

FIG. 5A is a geometric mapping model for a pinhole camera.

FIG. 5B is a three-dimensional model of the coordinate system for apinhole camera.

FIG. 6A-6B are triangulation models for determining the location of apoint in a coordinates system of an image capture device.

FIGS. 7A-7D are illustrations of an overlay process for creating acomposite stereo image pair from two stereo image pairs.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a stereo image acquisition methodaccording to one aspect of the stereoscopic measurement system.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a point measurement method within astereo image pair according to one aspect of the stereoscopicmeasurement system.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method for calculating andreporting measurements between designated measurement points in a stereoimage pair according to one aspect of the stereoscopic measurementsystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the stereoscopic measurement system and method describedherein allow a user to generate stereo images of an object, to designatepoints within the stereo images of the object, and to obtain precisionmeasurements in reference to the designated points. One advantage of thesystem is the provision of a portable capture device that allows a userto capture stereo images of objects at remote locations. The portablecapture device transmits stereo images to a processing system to displaythe stereo images and to determine precision measurements betweendesignated points within the stereo images. Furthermore, the system canbe deployed in various environments, and is more portable and costeffective than conventional measuring systems.

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary aspect of a stereoscopic measurement system100. The stereoscopic measurement system 100 enables a user 102 tocapture stereo images of an object 104 with a stereo image capturedevice 106. The stereo image capture device 106 comprises a left camera108 and a right camera 110. The left camera 108 and right camera 110are, for example, digital pinhole cameras located on opposing ends of aframe member 112.

A monitor 114 is centrally disposed between the left camera 108 and theright camera 110 on the frame member 112. The monitor 114 is configuredto display a left image 116 captured by the left camera 108 and a rightimage 118 captured by the right camera 110. Although a single monitor114 is depicted in FIG. 1, it is contemplated that separate monitors,such as depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B, can be used to display the leftimage 116 and the right image 118.

Referring briefly to FIGS. 2A and 2B, aspects of an exemplary stereoimage capture device 106 are depicted. In this aspect, the stereo imagecapture device 106 is a portable hand-held apparatus that comprises abackbone 202 that is sufficiently rigid to limit flexing. For example,the backbone 202 can be constructed from a lightweight material, such asplastic or another suitable material.

A left pod 204 is affixed to the left end of the backbone 202 and aright pod 206 is affixed to the right end of the backbone 202. The leftpod 204 is configured to house the left camera 108, and the right pod206 is configured to house the right camera 110.

A hub 208 is located at the center of the backbone 202 and houses apower source (not shown) for powering the left and right cameras 108,110. For example, according to one aspect, the hub 208 comprises abattery compartment (not shown) that receives a battery. According toanother aspect, the hub 208 comprises power input terminals (not shown)configured to connect with a power cord that is connected to a poweroutlet.

According to another aspect, the hub 208 comprises a left monitor 210and a right monitor 212. The left monitor 210 and the right monitor 212are, for example, liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors. The leftmonitor 210 is connected to the left camera 108 and displays the leftimage 116. The right monitor 212 is connected to the right camera 110and displays the right image 118 of the object 104. The user 102maneuvers the stereo image capture device 106 to display left and rightimages 116, 118 of a desired portion of the object 104 via the left andright monitors 210, 212. The central location of the monitors 210, 212allows the user 102 to conveniently determine a common field of view forthe left and right cameras 108, 110.

A left handle 214 is located to the left of the hub 208 and a righthandle 216 is located to the right of the hub 208. Notably, it iscontemplated that the handles 214, 216 of the image capture device 106can be located in a different position or locations. The user 102 holdsthe image capture device 106 via the left handle 214 and right handle216. According to one aspect, the left handle 214 comprises a switch 218that controls the electronic shutters of the left camera 108 and theright camera 110. The switch 218 is wired to the left and right cameras108, 110 to ensure that the corresponding left and right images 116, 118are captured simultaneously. For example, when the left monitor 210 andright monitor 212 (or a single monitor 114) displays the left and rightimages 116, 118 of the desired area, the user 102 actuates or togglesthe switch 218 to capture the left and right images 116, 118.

According to one aspect, the left camera 108 and right camera 110 areconfigured to transfer images and image data to the hub 208 viauniversal serial bus (“USB”) cables. For example, the left camera 108 iswired to a communication port 220 by a USB cable, and the right camera110 is wired to the communication port 220 by another USB cable.

According to another aspect, the hub 208 is mounted on a swivel suchthat it can be rotated independently from the left camera 108 and theright camera 110. As a result, the user 102 can view the monitors 210,212 regardless of the orientation of the right and left cameras 108,110.

According to another aspect, lamps 222, 224 are located next to the leftand right cameras 108, 110. The purpose of the lamps 222, 224 is toilluminate the object 104 during capture of the left and right images116, 118. In one example, the lamps 222, 224 are configured to turn on,or flash, when the switch 218 is toggled. In another example, the lamps222, 224 are configured to turn on when a separate switch (not shown) istoggled.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the image capture device 106 is configured totransfer the left image 116 and the right image 118 to a processingsystem 120 for processing via a wired or wireless communication link.According to one aspect, the image capture device 106 is configured towirelessly transfer images to the processing system 120 in response tothe user 102 actuating a transmit switch (not shown) on the imagecapture device 106. In one example, a wireless transmitter 122 isconnected to the image capture device 106 via the communication port220. The transmitter 122 transmits a signal 124 comprising image datarepresentative of the left and right images 116, 118. Although thetransmitter 122 is depicted external to the image capture device 106, itis contemplated that the transmitter 122 may be integrated into theimage capture device 106.

A wireless receiver 126 is connected to the processing system 120 andreceives the signal 124 from the transmitter 122. The transmitter 122and corresponding receiver 126 may utilize a Gigabit Ethernet link, IEEE802.11 link, Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) link, or any other suitable wirelesscommunication link. The wireless transmitter 122 and wireless receiverare optional in some embodiments.

According to another aspect, the image capture device 106 transfers theleft image 116 and the right image 118 from the image capture device 106to the processing system 120 via a wired connection 128 in response tothe user 102 actuating the transmit switch (not shown). Alternatively,the processing system 120 automatically downloads images from thecapture device 106 in response to detecting the wired connection 128between the image capture device 106 and the processing system 120. Thewired connection 128 can be a USB connection, a FireWire connection, orany other suitable wired connection.

The processing system 120 comprises a stereoscopic measurementapplication (“measurement application”) 130. The measurement application130 comprises executable modules or instructions that enable theprocessing system 120 to process image data, display stereo images, andto obtain precise measurement data for designated points within stereoimages. In one aspect, the processing system 120 is a remote computer,such as a laptop computer or a personal computer station. In anotheraspect, the processing system 120 is a server computer.

A user interface (UI) 132 enables the user 102 to select images and/orto issue processing commands. Processing commands comprise, for example,commands to initiate image data acquisition from the image capturedevice 106 and/or commands to initiate image data analysis. In oneexample, the UI 132 comprises a display 134, such as a computer monitor,for viewing image data and an input device 136, such as a keyboard or apointing device (e.g., mouse, trackball, pen, touch pad, or otherdevice), for allowing the user 102 to interact with the image data.

The UI 132 is configured to display one or more input forms via thedisplay 134. The input forms enable the user 102 to select image datafor viewing and/or editing. The input forms also enable the user 102 todesignate points within stereo images and to display measurementinformation for the designated points.

According to one aspect, the processing system 120 comprises a memory138 for storing stereo image data for a particular object 104, includingprocessed and/or raw image data. For example, the memory 138 comprisesone or more files 140 each comprising processed and/or unprocessed imagedata for the object 104.

In one operational example, the stereoscopic measurement system 100compares user-designated points within stereo images of the object 104with known reference points for that object. By comparing user 102designated points within stereo images of an object 104, such as adamaged vehicle to corresponding reference points of an undamagedvehicle, the measurement system 100 determines one or more measurementsbetween the designated points and the reference points to quantify anamount of damage to the vehicle.

In another operational example, the stereoscopic measurement system 100detects a change in an object 104 that occurs over a period of time. Forexample, the stereoscopic measurement system 100 is used to calculate acurrent distance between two user-designated points in the stereo imagesof the exterior of a building. One of the designated points is, forexample, a reference point such as a ground elevation benchmark thatremains substantially constant over time. The other designated point is,for example, a target point on the exterior of the building. After aperiod of time has elapsed, the stereoscopic measurement system 100 isused to calculate the distance between the same reference point and thesame target point of the building. Accordingly, a change in thecalculated distance between the reference point and target pointindicates, for example, that the foundation of the building has shiftedand/or some other structural deviation has occurred.

Although the stereoscopic measurement system 100 is described herein asbeing used to obtain measurement data for vehicles and/or buildings, itis contemplated that the system 100 can be used to obtain measurementsfor any object 104 for which stereo images can be captured.

As another example, the stereoscopic measurement system 100 can be usedto catalog a three dimensional image of an artifact or personalproperty, such as a vase. For instance, the stereoscopic measurementsystem 100 is used to capture various stereoscopic images of the vase.Thereafter, measurements can be calculated between selected points onthe vase in all three dimensions. Thereafter, these measurements cancatalog and later used to verify the authenticity of the vase and/or togenerate a replica of the vase.

FIG. 3A depicts an exemplary stereoscopic measurement application 302(e.g., measurement application 130) according to one aspect of themeasurement system 100. The measurement application 302 comprisesmodules that enable the processing system 120 to process image data, togenerate stereo images, and to obtain precise measurements for userdesignated points within a generated stereo image.

A data-acquisition module 304 is configured to receive image data fromthe image capture device 106. For example, when the wired connection 128connects the image capture device 106 and the processing system 120, thedata acquisition module 304 detects the wired connection 128 andreceives the left and right images 116, 118 from the image capturedevice 106. As another example, when the left and right images 116, 118are being transferred to the processing system 120 via a wirelesscommunication, the data acquisition module 304 detects the wirelesscommunication from the image capture device 106 via the receiver 126 andreceives the left and right images 116, 118 from the image capturedevice 106. According to one aspect, the left and right images 116, 118images are deleted from the left and right cameras 108, 110 after beingtransferred to the processing system 120.

According to another aspect, the data acquisition module 304 isconfigured to retrieve intrinsic data 306 from the left and rightcameras 108, 110 for storage in the memory 138. As used herein,intrinsic data for a camera refers to geometric and opticalcharacteristics of the lens and the camera as determined via a cameracalibration process.

Camera calibration is the process of relating the ideal model of thecamera to the actual physical device and determining the position andorientation of the camera with respect to a world reference system.Stereoscopic calibration typically involves an internal or intrinsiccalibration process and an external or stereo calibration process. Asdescribed in more detail below, stereo calibration typically involvesdetermining the position and orientation of the left camera 108 andright camera 110 relative to each other with respect to a worldreference system.

The purpose of intrinsic calibration is to determine intrinsic data 306,such as lens distortion, focal length, and the principal point of animage for a particular camera. Intrinsic data 306 is determinedseparately for each of the left and right cameras 108, 110. According toone aspect, intrinsic calibration is performed during the final stagesof the manufacturing process of the image capture device 106. Forexample, after the image capture device 106 has been assembled and isoperable, intrinsic data 306 is determined separately for each of theleft camera 108 and right camera 110.

According to one aspect, the determined intrinsic data 306 for the leftcamera 108 is stored in a memory of the left camera 108, and thedetermined intrinsic data 306 for the right camera 110 is stored in amemory of the right camera 110. In one aspect, the determined intrinsicdata 306 is stored as XML files in the memory of each camera. Bydetermining intrinsic data 306 for each camera, the imperfections of apoint on an image can be effectively neutralized, thereby linking thepoint with the corresponding coordinates in the camera coordinatesystem.

According to one aspect, intrinsic data 306 is determined for each ofthe left and right cameras 108, by first capturing a series of photos ofa calibration image or jig 342 such as shown in FIGS. 3B-3D. Accordingto one aspect, the calibration image consists of alternating black andwhite squares or rectangles arranged in a planar checkerboard pattern.The series of photos are obtained for various orientations of thecalibration image 342.

In one example, the field of view of each camera, or image view space,344 is divided into nine sections (i.e., three rows and three columns).FIG. 3B depicts the calibration image 342 in a first orientationpositioned in a section of the image view space 344 that corresponds tothe top row and the left column. Images of the calibration image 342 inthe first orientation are captured in each of the nine sections by eachcamera. FIG. 3C depicts the calibration image 342 in a secondorientation (e.g., rotated approximately forty-five degrees). Images ofthe calibration image 342 in the second orientation are captured in eachof the nine sections by each camera. FIG. 3D depicts the calibrationimage 342 in a third orientation (e.g., tilted backward approximatelyforty-five degrees). Images of the calibration image 342 in the thirdorientation are captured in each of the nine sections by each camera.

The dimensions of the individual checker patterns are known. As aresult, the camera intrinsic values of focal length, lens distortion,and principal point location can be determined. For example, imageprocessing techniques are used to identify the corners of each square inthe checkerboard and construct perspective lines connecting thesecorners. If the perspective lines are slightly curved instead ofstraight, a formula can be derived to straighten their curviness andused thereafter to remove image distortions. As a result, the formulacan be used to establish a mapping of world straight lines to imagestraight lines. In one example, this formula is a row vector of scalarvalues representing lens distortion and the misalignment of the opticalaxis center of the image plane, called the principal point, to themechanical axis of the image plane. The two corners along any edge of asquare in the checkerboard correspond to pixels representing thesecorners on the image plane. Homogeneous vectors drawn from the imagesensor cross at the focal point and pass through the corners of thesquare of known size. The focal length is determined as the height ofthe triangle formed by these two lines from the image plane to theplanar checkerboard pattern.

According to another aspect, the data acquisition module 304 isconfigured to determine if the intrinsic data 306 retrieved from theleft camera 108 and right camera 110 has been updated before storing theintrinsic data 306 in the memory 138. For example, when the intrinsicdata 306 is stored as an XML file, the data acquisition module 304compares XML file metadata, such as a creation date and time associated,with XML files being retrieved from each camera, with similar XML filemetadata associated with XML files previously stored in the memory 138.If XML file metadata associated with XML files being retrieved from theleft camera 108 and right camera 110 indicates that the creation dateand time for those XML files was created after XML files previouslystored in the memory 138, the data acquisition module 304 replaces thepreviously stored XML files with the XML files being retrieved from theleft camera 108 and right camera 110.

According to another aspect, a pairing module 308 pairs the left image116 and the right image 118 to create a stereo image pair 310. Thepairing module 308 then stores the stereo image pair 310 andcorresponding download history data 312 in the memory 138. The downloadhistory data 312 comprises, for example, a time and date that the imagedata from the left and right cameras 108, 110 included in the stereoimage pair 310 were transferred from the image capture device 106 to theprocessing system 120. According to another aspect, the download historydata 312 comprises metadata for each of the left and right cameras 108,110. Metadata identifies, for example, a camera model, a film type, andleft or right camera.

An image-processing module 314 processes the stereo image pair 310 todetermine if the left and right images 116, 118 are images of acalibration image 342. For example, the image-processing module 314employs a pattern recognition algorithm to detect the known geometricalpattern of the calibration image 342 in the stereo image. If theimage-processing module 314 determines a particular stereo image pair310 comprises images of a calibration image 342, a stereo calibrationmodule 316 is executed.

The stereo calibration module 316 is configured to determine stereocalibration data 318 for the image capture device 106. For example, thestereo calibration module 316 determines the pinhole locations for theleft and right cameras 108, 110 relative to a common element within acalibration pattern (e.g., calibration image 342) to establish areference origin for a coordinate system that corresponds to the imagecapture device 106. In another aspect, the stereo calibration module 316determines the separation distance between the center of the pinholelocations for the left and right cameras 108, 110 and the angularpositioning of each of the cameras in relation to the image capturedevice 106. The determined pinhole locations for the left and rightcameras 108, 110, the separation distance, and the angular position ofleft and right cameras 108, 110 are referred to collectively as stereocalibration data 318. In one aspect, stereo calibration data is amatrix, either called the essential matrix or the fundamental matrix,comprising both translation and rotation values describing the stereocalibration data 318. The stereo calibration module 316 stores thestereo calibration data 318 in the memory 138. The stereo calibrationdata 318 is used to triangulate the exact location of user-designatedpoints within a stereo image pair 310.

According to one aspect, stereo calibration is performed just prior tocapturing images of a particular object 104 for which measurementinformation is desired. Environmental conditions, such as temperatureand humidity levels, can affect the shape of the image capture device106 (e.g., material contraction and expansion), and, thus, affect thepositioning of the cameras 108, 110 relative to each other. Byperforming stereo calibration prior to capturing images of a desiredobject 104, the stereo calibration data 318 can be determined based onthe most current positioning of the cameras 108, 110 relative to eachother.

According to one aspect, stereo calibration involves using a calibrationimage (e.g., calibration image 342) to determine the current position ofthe left and right cameras 108, 110 relative to each other. For example,the image capture device 106 captures left and right images 116, 118 ofthe calibration image. The size of the individual checker patterns inthe image, the focal length of the cameras, principal point, and lensdistortion are known parameters. As a result, the separation distanceand/or angular position between the left and right cameras can bedetermined by applying triangulation techniques to selected points inthe left and right images. Triangulation is described in more detailbelow in reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

According to another aspect of the stereoscopic measurement system 100,the image-processing module 314 associates the stereo calibration data318 with a stereo image pair 310 based on the download history data 312.For example, a stereo image pair 310 that has a transfer date and timethat is subsequent to the date and time associated with a particularstereo image pair 310 in which the calibration image 342 was detected,is associated with the stereo calibration data 318 determined from thatparticular stereo image pair 310.

A user interface (UI) module 320 is configured to generate an imagemanagement form 322 for the display via the UI 132. In one example, theUI module 320 retrieves the stereo image pair 310 from the memory 138and allows the user 102 to interact with the left and right images 116,118 included in the stereo image pair 310 via the image management form322 on the display 134. The image management form 322 comprises variousviews that allow a user to display image data, to interact with imagedata, and to specify points within a stereo image pair 310 formeasurement.

FIGS. 4A-4D depict various screen views of an image management form 322displayed on the display 134. In one aspect, the user 102 interacts withthe image management form 322 depicted in FIG. 4A via an input device(e.g., input device 136) to display an existing project. As used herein,the term “project” refers to a file that comprises one or more stereoimage pairs 310. For example, the user 102 uses the input device 136 toselect an open project control 402 on the image management form 322 todisplay a list of existing projects, such as depicted in FIG. 4B.Thereafter, the user 102 selects a particular project from the list ofexisting projects to open using standard file opening techniques.

According to another aspect, the user 102 uses the input device 136 tointeract with the image management form 322 to display a list of stereoimages pairs 406 included in the selected project. For example, the user102 uses the input device 136 to select a project images control 404 todisplay the list of stereo images pairs 406 included in the selectedproject.

According to another aspect, the user 102 uses the input device 136 tointeract with the image management form 322 to delete one or more stereoimages from the list of stereo images pairs 406 included in a project.For example, the user 102 uses the input device 136 to enable or selecta check box control 408 adjacent to a stereo image pair 310. Thereafter,the user 102 uses the input device 136 to select, for example, a deletecontrol 410 to permanently delete the selected stereo image pair 310from memory 138. In another example, the user 102 uses the input device136 to select, for example, a remove control 412 to remove the selectedstereo image pair 310 from the project, but not from the memory 138.

According to another aspect, the user 102 interacts with the imagemanagement form 322 to add one or more new stereo images pairs to anexisting project. For example, the user 102 uses the input device 136 toselect a new images tab 414, such as shown in FIG. 4C, to display a listof new stereo image pairs 416. In one example, the user 102 selects astereo image pair 310 from the list of new stereo image pairs 416 byusing the input device 136 to enable or select a check box 418 adjacenta desired new stereo image pair 310. Thereafter, the user 102 uses theinput device 136 to select, for example, an add control 420 to add theselected stereo image pair 310 to the existing project.

According to another aspect, the user 102 interacts with the imagemanagement form 322, such as depicted in FIG. 4C, to create a newproject. For example, the user 102 uses the input device 136 to select anew project control 422 on the image management form 322 to display thelist of new stereo image pairs 416. The user 102 then uses the inputdevice 136 to select one or more stereo image pairs 310 from the list ofnew stereo image pairs 416 to include in the new project. For example,the user 102 uses the input device 136 to enable or select the check box418 adjacent the desired new stereo image pair 310. Thereafter, the user102 uses the input device 136 to select the add control 420 to add theselected stereo image pair 310 to the new project.

According to another aspect, the user 102 interacts with the imagemanagement form 322, such as depicted in FIG. 4C, to delete one or morestereo image pairs from the list of new stereo image pairs 416. Forexample, the user 102 uses the input device 136 to enable or select thecheck box 418 adjacent to a desired new stereo image pair 310.Thereafter, the user 102 uses the input device 136 to select, forexample, a delete control 424 to delete the selected stereo image pair310 from the list of new stereo images 416.

According to another aspect, the user 102 interacts with the imagemanagement form 322 to select a particular stereo image pair 310 withina particular project for viewing. For example, the user 102 uses theinput device 136 to enable the check box control 408 (see FIG. 4A)adjacent to a stereo image pair 310 included in the list of stereoimages 406 for an existing project. As another example, the user 102uses the input device 136 to enable the check box 418 (see FIG. 4C)adjacent to a stereo image pair 310 included in the list of new stereoimages 416 for a new project.

The UI module 320 generates the selected stereo image pair 310 fordisplay in a left image window 426 and a right image window 428 of theimage management form 322 in response to the users' selection. Inparticular, the left image window 426 displays the left image 116 of thestereo image pair 310 and the right image window 428 displays the rightimage 118 of the stereo image pair 310.

According to another aspect, the UI module 320 displays the left image116 or the right image 118 in an active window 430 in response to theuser 102 selecting the left image window 426 or the right image window428. For example, the user 102 uses the input device 136 to select theleft image window 426 to display the left image 116 in the active window430 or to select the right image window 428 to display the right image118 in the active window 430. Notably, the stereo image pair 310displayed in FIG. 4C comprises left and right images 116, 118 of acalibration image 342.

According to another aspect, the user 102 interacts with the imagemanagement form 322 to designate one or more measurement points withinan image displayed in the active window 430. For example, the user 102selects either the left image window 426 or the right image window 428to display the corresponding left image 116 or right image 118 in theactive window 430. The user 102 then uses the input device 136 to panacross and/or zoom in and out of the image displayed in the activewindow 430. In one example, the selected image window (e.g. left imagewindow 426 or right image window 428) that corresponds to the image(e.g. left image 116 or right image 118) displayed in the active window430 comprises a focus rectangle 434, such as shown in FIG. 4E. The focusrectangle 434 outlines the portion of the image visible in the activewindow 430. The user 102 can pan the image in the active window 430 byusing the scroll bars 436 adjacent to the active window 430.Alternatively, the user 102 pans the image in the active window 430 bydragging the focus rectangle 434 by, for example, positioning a mousepointer over the focus rectangle 434, pressing and holding the mousebutton while the focus rectangle 434 is moved to the desired location.

After the user 102 visually locates the desired measurement point, theuser 102 interacts with the image in the active window 430 to select thepoint. In one example, the user 102 positions a mouse pointer over thedesired location and clicks the mouse button to designate the point. Inresponse to a point designation by the user 102, the UI module 320displays a precision mark 438 at the location on the image displayed inthe active window 430 where the user designate the point.

According to another aspect, the user 102 interacts with the imagedisplayed in the active window 430 to fine-tune the location of thedesignated point. For example, the user uses arrow keys of a keyboard toadjust the location of the point.

In order to obtain precise measurements, the user 102 must designate thesame measure points in both the left image 116 and right image 118 ofthe stereo image pair. Therefore, after designating the desired point ina first image (e.g. left image 116) of the stereo image pair 310, theuser 102 selects the other image window (e.g. right image window 428) todisplay the second image (e.g. right image 118) of the stereo image pair310 in the active window 430. The user 102 then designates the samepoint in the second image being displayed in the active window 430. Inresponse to the user's point designation, the UI module 320 displaysanother precision mark 440 at the location on the second image displayedin the active window 430 where the user designated the same point. Inother words, the user 102 selects common points in both of the left andright images 116, 118 of the stereo image pair 310.

Referring back to FIG. 3A, a point selection module 324 is configured toassist a user 102 select the same point in the right image 118 byautomatically identifying a range of points in the right image 118 thatcorrespond to the point designated by the user 102 in the left image116. As described above, left camera 108 and right camera 110 are, forexample, pinhole cameras.

FIG. 5A depicts the pinhole model of a camera. An optical axis 502extends in the view direction of the camera. All projection lines, orhomogeneous vectors, of an image pass through a pinhole 504 of thecamera. An image plane 506 is where a particular point (P₁) 508 in thethree dimensional world (X, Y, Z) is projected through the pinhole 504of the camera. For example, a projection vector 510 or line from pointP₁ 508 will pass through the pinhole 504 onto the image plane 506 of thecamera at a point P₂ 512. The distance between the pinhole 504 and theimage plane 506 along the optical axis 502 is the focal length, f, ofthe camera.

FIG. 5B depicts a three-dimensional coordinate system for the pinholemodel used as the basis for single-camera and stereoscopic mathematics.Place the pinhole 504 of the camera (e.g., left camera) at the origin Oof the coordinate system, and the image plane 506 parallel to the XYplane of the coordinate system. The relation between the threedimensional world coordinates of point P₁ 508 and the coordinates on

the image plane (x, y) can be expressed by the following:x=f*X/Z  (1);y=f*Y/Z  (2);where f is the focal length of the lens. Thus, the homogeneous vector510 defines a point on the image plane of the camera.

Referring back to FIG. 3A, the point selection module 324 defines arange of possible matching points in the right image 118 based on adesignated point in the left image 116. According to one aspect, thepoint selection module 324 uses the series of points defined by ahomogeneous vector (e.g., projection vector 510) in FIG. 5B from adesignated point in the left image 116 along with intrinsic calibrationdata and stereo calibration data for the left camera 108 and the rightcamera 110 to define a range of possible matching points in the rightimage 118. As described above, intrinsic calibration data comprisesfocal lengths, principal points, and lens distortions for the leftcamera 108 and right camera 110 and stereo calibration data includes therelative translation and rotation of the left camera 108 and rightcamera 110.

According to another aspect, the point selection module 324 generates aselection line 441, such as depicted in FIG. 4D, on the right image 118when displayed in the active window 430. The selection line 441corresponds to the range of possible points in the right image 118 thatcorrespond to the point designated in the left image 116.

According to another aspect, the point selection module 324 isconfigured to automatically identify a point in the right image 118 thatcorresponds to the point designated by the user in the left image 116.For example, in addition to generating a selection line 441 in the rightimage 118, the point selection module 324 utilizes a pattern recognitionalgorithm to identify a point along the selection line 441 thatcorresponds to the point designated by the user 102 in the left image116. For example, the point selection module 324 determines the value ofeach pixel adjacent to the point selected by the user 102 in the leftimage 116.

Digital images are comprised of pixels, and each pixel has a value thatrepresents a grayscale value or color value. In grayscale images, thepixel value is a single number that represents the brightness of thepixel. The most common pixel format is the byte image, where this numberis stored as an 8-bit integer giving a range of possible values from 0to 255. Typically, a pixel value of zero is taken to be black, and apixel value of 255 is taken to be white. Values in between make up thedifferent shades of gray. In color images, separate red, green, and bluecomponents must be specified for each pixel (assuming an RGBcolorspace). In other words, the pixel value is actually a vector ofthree numbers. The three different components can be stored as threeseparate grayscale images known as color planes (one for each of red,green and blue), which can be recombined when displaying or processing.

The point selection module 324 then compares the determined values ofthe pixels adjacent to the point selected by the user in the left image116 to identify a particular point that has adjacent pixels withmatching values along the selection line 441 in the right image 118. TheUI module 320 displays the other precision mark 440 at the location inthe right image 118 that corresponds to same point designated in theleft image 116.

The user 102 repeats the point selection process to define a secondmeasurement point in each of the right and left images 116, 118. Forexample, the user 102 selects the left image window 426 to display theleft image 116 in the active window 430, and then uses the input device136 to perform pan and/or zoom operations to locate a desired secondmeasurement point in the left image 116. After the user visually locatesthe second measurement point, the user 102 uses the input device 136 todesignate the location of the second point in the left image 116 asdescribed above in reference to the first measurement point. In responseto the user's second point designation, the UI module 320 displays aprecision mark 442 at the designated location in the left image 116.

The user 102 then interacts with the image management form 322 todesignate the same second measurement points in the right image 118. Forexample, the user 102 selects the right image window 428 to display theright image 118 in the active window 430. The user 102 uses the inputdevice 136 to designate the location of the same second measurementpoints in the right image 118.

Alternatively, the user uses the input device 136 to designate thelocation of the same second measurement points in the right image 118along another selection line (not shown) generated in the right image118. The other selection line is generated by the point selection module324 and corresponds to the range of possible points in the right image118 that correspond to the second measurement point. In another aspect,the user 102 relies on the point selection module 324 to automaticallylocate the same second measurement point in the right image 118. The UImodule 320 displays a precision mark 444 at the location in the rightimage 118 that corresponds to same point designated in the left image116.

A stereo point module 326 uses triangulation to define a stereo point inthe virtual three-dimensional coordinate system of the image capturedevice 106 based on the common points designated in both the left image116 and right image 118 of the stereo image pair 310. In other words, astereo point or three dimensional position of a designated point can bereconstructed from the perspective projections of that point on theimage planes of the left and right cameras 108, 110 once the relativeposition and orientation of the two cameras are known. The stereo pointcorresponds to the x, y, z coordinate values of the common designatedpoint in the left and right images 116, 118 as determined fromtriangulation.

FIG. 6A depicts an epipolar triangulation model for determining thelocation of a point P₁ 602 in a coordinate system of the image capturedevice 106. The left camera 108 and the right camera 110 are eachpinhole cameras with parallel optical axes. For purposes of illustrationassume that the left camera 108 and right camera 110 each have the samefocal length F 604. Further, assume that the center of left camera 108is located at X₁ 606 along the X-axis and that the center of the rightcamera 110 is located at X₂ 608 along the X-axis. The distance (D) 610between the centers of each lens (i.e., center of pinholes) is equal tothe difference between X₁ 606 and X₂ 608. In this example, the opticalaxis of each camera is in the XZ plane and the XY plane is parallel tothe image plane of both the left and right cameras 108, 110. Assume thatthe X axis is the baseline and the origin, O, of the coordinates system(X, Y, Z) of the image capture device 106 is located at the lens center(e.g., pinhole) of the left camera 108. The three dimensionalcoordinates of the point P₁ 602 can be determined from the followingalgorithms:

Define a scaling factor as:S=D/|x1−x2|  (3).Then, the X, Y, Z coordinates can be determined as follows:Z=f*S  (4);X=x1*S  (5);andY=y1*S=y2*S  (6).

FIG. 6B depicts another epipolar triangulation model for determining thelocation of a point P₁ 602 in a coordinate system of the image capturedevice 106. The left camera 108 and the right camera 110 are eachpinhole cameras angled with their optical axes toed in toward eachother. For purposes of illustration assume that the left camera 108 andright camera 110 each have the same focal length F 604. The distancebetween the origins of each camera's pinhole model is represented bytranslation vector t. Any rotation, including the toe-in of the opticalaxes, can be represented by a rotation matrix R. A mapping of the leftand right camera coordinate systems will bind projection vectorsrepresenting point P1 into one overall coordinate system. One suchmapping is the essential matrix, E, resulting from the product of theskew-symmetric matrix of vector t, as indicated by reference character612, and the rotation matrix R, as indicated by reference character 614.Projection vectors x1 and x2 are now related in a single coordinateframe as:x1*E*x2=0  (7).Coordinates (X, Y, and Z) of point P1 are derived from simpletriangulation of these projection vectors within the combined coordinateframe.

A cross measure module 328 calculates the distance between two or morestereo points defined by the stereo point module 326. In one example,the cross measure module 328 calculates the distance between two or morestereo points in response to a user selecting a measure control 446,such as shown in FIG. 4E. The UI module 320 displays the calculateddistance in a measurement table 448.

A composite module 330 is configured to combine or stitch two stereoimage pairs 310 into a composite stereo image pair 332. The compositestereo image pair 332 comprises two stereo image pairs 310 in whichthere is some overlap between the right and left images 116, 118included in each of the two stereo image pairs 310. By combining twosuch stereo image pairs 310, measurements can be obtained between afirst point in the left and right images 116, 118 of a first stereoimage pair image and a second point in the left and right images 116,118 of a second stereo image pair. In particular, measurement can beobtained between the non-overlapping portions of the right and leftimages 116, 118 included in the two stereo image pairs 310.

According to one aspect, the user 102 defines composite points in eachof two stereo image pairs 310 and overlays the two stereo image pairs310 based on the composite points to create the composite stereo imagepair 332. For example, the users uses the point selection techniquesdescribed above to select the same three non-co-linear and uniquelyidentifiable reference points in both of the stereo image pairs 310. Thecomposite module 330 overlays to the two stereo image pairs 310 suchthat the three non-co-linear and uniquely identifiable reference pointsmatch to create the composite stereo image pair 332 in response to theuser 102 selecting a create composite control 450, such as shown in FIG.4A. The composite stereo image pair 332 comprises a composite left imageand a composite right image. The composite module 330 then stores thecomposite stereo image pair 332 in the memory 138.

FIGS. 7A-7C depict an overlay process for creating a composite stereoimage pair 332 based on two stereo images of a vehicle 702. Although theoverlay process involves combining both left and right images from twostereo pairs, for purposes of illustration the overlay process isdescribed in reference to combining the left images 116 of two stereopairs 310. FIG. 7A depicts a first left image 704 of a first stereoimage pair that corresponds to a front section of the vehicle 702.

FIG. 7B depicts a second left image 706 of a second stereo image pair310 that corresponds to the mid-section of the vehicle 702. As describedabove, the user 102 uses the point selection techniques described aboveto select the same three non-co-linear and uniquely identifiablereference points in both the first and second left images. In thisexample, reference points 708, 710, 712 are selected in both the firstand second left images 704, 706.

FIG. 7C depicts an overlay of the first left image pair 704 and secondleft image 706 such that reference points 708, 710, 712 match to createa composite left image 714. As shown in FIG. 7D, a first measurementpoint 716 can be selected in the front section of the vehicle 702 and asecond measurement point 718 can be selected in the mid-section of thevehicle 702 via the composite left image 714.

Notably, a same overlay process is used to create a composite rightimage based on a first right image of the first stereo image pair thesecond right image of the second stereo image pair.

According to another aspect, the user 102 interacts with the imagemanagement form 322 to add the composite stereo image pair 332 to anexisting project. For example, the user 102 uses the input device 136 toselect, for example, the add control 420 (see FIG. 4C) to add thecomposite stereo image pair 332 to the existing project.

According to another aspect, the user 102 interacts with the imagemanagement form 322 to select a composite stereo image pair 332 todisplay the left images and right images 116, 118 of each stereo pair310 included in the composite stereo image pair 332. In one example, theuser 102 selects a composite stereo image pair 332 for viewing by usingthe input device 136 to enable or select a check box (not shown)adjacent to a desired composite stereo image pair 332. The UI module 320displays images from the left and right images 116, 118 for each of thestereo images in image windows 452-458 in response to the user selectingthe composite stereo image pair 332.

According to another aspect, the user 102 uses the input device 136 toselect one of image windows 452-458 to display the corresponding imagein the active window 430.

Referring back to FIG. 3A, the measurement application 302 is configuredto retrieve information from a measurement database 334 that comprisesstereo point data 336 for specific defined points on one or more objects104. In one example, the measurement database 334 comprises stereo pointdata 336 for defined stereo points, or reference stereo points, along avehicle body for a specific type of vehicle when the body is notdamaged.

By comparing stereo point data from the measurement database 334 tostereo points generated based on user-designated points in stereo imagesof a vehicle of the same type with body damage, a precise assessment ofthe amount of damage to the vehicle can be determined. For example, thedistance between a reference stereo point on an undamaged vehicle can becompared to stereo points defined based on corresponding user-designatedpoints in stereo images of a damaged vehicle. The distance between thereference stereo point and one or more defined stereo points can bemeasured to determine an amount of damage to the vehicle.

As another example, by comparing stereo point data 336 from themeasurement database 334 to stereo points generated based onuser-designated points in stereo images of an undamaged vehicle,deviations in the body of the undamaged vehicle can be identified. As aresult, the measurement system 100 can be used to verify that products,such as vehicles, are being manufactured within desired tolerances.Although the measurement database 334 is depicted as being external theprocessing system 120, it is contemplated that the measurement database334 may be located on the processing system.

A symmetry module 338 is configured to determine if there are symmetrydeviations between selected points on an object. According to oneaspect, using the techniques described above, the user 102 opens a newproject or an existing project that comprises at least two stereo imagepairs that show opposing sides of an object. The user 102 then uses thepoint selection techniques described above to define a set of stereopoints on each opposing side of the object 104.

For example, if the object 104 is a vehicle, the user 102 selects a setof points (e.g., first and second points) in a first stereo image pair310 comprising left and right images 116, 118 of a passenger side of thevehicle. The user 102 then selects another set of points (e.g., firstand second points) in a second stereo image pair 310 comprising left andright images 116, 118 of a driver side of the vehicle. The userinteracts with the image management form 322 to define point details fora selected set of points. For example, the user 102 uses the inputdevice 136 to select, for example, a point detail control 462 to displaya point detail table 464, such as depicted in FIG. 4F. The user 102 thendesignates one set of points as a reference set by using the inputdevice 136 to enable an adjacent check box control 466.

According to one aspect, the symmetry module 338 is configured to definea central reference plane 350 based on the designated reference set inresponse to the user selecting a symmetry control 468, such as depictedin FIG. 4C. As an example, FIG. 3E depicts a top view of a vehiclehaving a first point and a second point 354 selected on the passengerside 356 a corresponding first point 358 and a corresponding secondpoint 360 point selected on a driver side 362. Assuming the userdesignates the first point 352 and second point 354 selected on thepassenger side 356 as the reference set, the symmetry module 338 definesthe central reference plane 350 between the first point 352 and thesecond point 354.

According to one aspect, symmetry deviations are determined anddisplayed as deviation values via the image management form. In oneexample, the determined deviation values are displayed as two values,one for distance from the center plane (Y) and one for the combined Xand Z values.

FIG. 3F depicts a geometrical model for determining symmetry between afirst set of points on a first side of an object and a second set ofpoints on a second side. For purposes of illustration, the geometricalmodel will be described in reference to the example shown in FIG. 3E. Avector 362 is defined between the first and second points 352, 354 and amidpoint 364 of the vector 362 is determined. The center reference plane350 is defined as the plane that passes though the midpoint 364 and thatis perpendicular to the vector 362. The midpoint 364 is also defined asthe origin of an X, Y, Z coordinate system.

The distance X₁₁ from the first point 352 to a perpendicular point onthe reference plane 350 is determined and the distance X₁₂ from thesecond point 354 to the perpendicular point on the reference plane 350is determined. The distance X₂₁ from the corresponding first point 358to a perpendicular point on the reference plane 350 is determined andthe distance X₂₂ from the corresponding second point 360 to theperpendicular point on the reference plane 350 is determined.Corresponding distances are compared to determine symmetry deviationvalues. For example, distance X₁₁ is compared to distance X₂₁. Accordingto one aspect, the measurement application 130 defines the difference indistances as the X deviation error. If neither point is a referencepoint, the measurement application 130 divides the X deviation error. Ifat least one point is a reference point, the measurement application 130assigns the X deviation error to the non-reference point.

According to another aspect, the measurement application 130 determinesthe points at which the first point 352 and second point 354 projectsinto the reference plane 350, and determines the points at which thecorresponding first point 358 and second point 360 projects into thereference plane 350. The measurement application 130 determines acombined YZ error of the first and second points 352, 354 as a functionof the distance between the projected points from the passenger side356. Similarly, the measurement application 130 determines the combinedYZ error of the corresponding first and second points 358, 360 as afunction of the distance between the projected points from the driverside 362. If neither point is a reference point, the measurementapplication 130 splits the YZ error. Otherwise, the measurementapplication 130 assigns the YZ error to the non-reference point.

According to another aspect, a reporting module 340 creates customizedreports. In one example, the reports include the results of thecalculations of cross measures based on user-designated points. Theresults can be displayed in a tabular format on the image managementform 334. In another example, the reports comprise deviations fromsymmetry or comparative measurements based on stereo point dataretrieved from the measurement database 330. In another example, imagesand/or diagrams are incorporated into reports. For example, if theobject 104 being analyzed is a vehicle, the reports may include imagesor diagrams 470 of the vehicle with measure points identified andlabeled, such as depicted in FIG. 4E. Notably, reports can be generatedfor display and can optionally be printed and/or saved to disk

According to another embodiment, the measurement application 130 isexecuted on a server computer, and reports and/or image data can becommunicated to remote computers, such as personal computers, laptops,personal digital assistants, and any other computing device via acommunication network, such as the Internet, an Intranet, or any othersuitable communication network.

Computer readable media 370 may include volatile media, nonvolatilemedia, removable media and non-removable media, may also be anyavailable medium that may be accessed by the general purpose computingdevice. By way of example and not limitation, computer readable media370 may include computer storage media and communication media. Computerstorage media may further include volatile, nonvolatile, removable andnon-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storageof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data. Communication media may typically embodycomputer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, orother data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or othertransport mechanism and include any information delivery media. Thoseskilled in the art will be familiar with the modulated data signal,which may have one or more of characteristics set or changed in such amanner that permits information to be encoded in the signal. Wiredmedia, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wirelessmedia, such as acoustic, radio frequency, infrared, and other wirelessmedia contemplated by the stereoscopic measurement system 100, areexamples of communication media discussed above. Combinations of any ofthe above media are also included within the scope of computer readablemedia discussed above.

FIG. 8 illustrates a stereo image acquisition method according to anaspect of the measurement system. At 802, the image capture device 106captures the left image 116 and right image 118 of the object 104 viathe left camera 108 and the right camera 110, respectively. Acommunication link is established between the processing system 120 andthe image capture device 106 at 804. As described above, thecommunication link can be established via a wired connection 128 or thecombination of a wireless transmitter 124 and wireless receiver 126.

At 806, the measurement application 130 is executed in response to theestablished communication link between the processing system 120 and theimage capture device 106. The measurement application 130 retrieves theleft and right images 116, 118 and downloads intrinsic data from theleft and right cameras at 808. At 810, the measurement application 130pairs the left image 116 and the right image 118 to create the stereoimage pair 310. The measurement application 130 stores the stereo imagepair 310 and corresponding download history data 312 in the memory 138at 812. As described above, the download history data 312 comprises, forexample, a time and date that the left image 116 and the right image 118of the stereo image pair 310 were transferred from the image capturedevice 106 to the processing system 120.

FIG. 9 illustrates a point measurement method within a stereo image pair310 according to one aspect of the measurement system 100. At 902, themeasurement application 130 displays an image management form 322 on thedisplay 134 that allows a user to select a stereo image pair 310 forviewing. The left image 116 and right image 118 of the selected stereoimage pair 310 in the left image window 426 and the right image window428 at 904. At 906, the left image 116 or the right image 118 isdisplayed in the active window 430 in response to the user 102 selectingthe left image window 426 or the right image window 428. As describedabove, the user 102 uses the input device 136 to select the left imagewindow 426 to display the left image 116 in the active window 430 or toselect the right image window 428 to display the right image 118 in theactive window 430.

At 908, the user 102 interacts with the image management form 322 todesignate two measurement points within a first image of the stereoimage pair that is displayed in the active window 430. For example,after the user 102 visually locates the desired point, the user 102positions a mouse pointer over the desired location in the first imageand clicks the mouse button to designate two measurement points in thefirst image. Precision marks (e.g., precision marks 438, 442) aredisplayed at the locations in the first image displayed in the activewindow 430 where the user designated the point at 910.

At 912, the user 102 interacts with the image management form 322 viathe input device 136 to designate the same measurement points within thesecond image of the stereo image pair 310 displayed in the active window430. Optionally at 914, the measurement application 130 displays aselection line that defines a range of possible matching points in thesecond image 116 based on each of the user designated points in thefirst image. At 916, the user 102 interacts with the image managementform 322 to designate the same measurement points along the selectionlines within the second image of the stereo image pair 310 displayed inthe active window 430.

As another option, at step 918, the measurement application 130automatically identifies points in the second image that corresponds tothe points designated by the user in the first image. As describe above,in addition to generating selection lines 438 in the second image 116,the measurement application utilizes a pattern recognition algorithm toidentify a point along the selection lines that correspond to the pointsdesignated by the user 102 in the first image. At 920, precision marks(e.g., precision marks 440, 444) are displayed at locations in thesecond image that correspond where the user 102 designated measurementpoints in the second image at 912 or 916, or where the measurementapplication 130 automatically identified the matching measuring pointsin the second image at 918.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method for calculating and reporting measurementsbetween designated measurement points according to one aspect of themeasurement system 100. At 1002, the measurement application 130 definesa first stereo point for the first measurement point designated in theleft image 116 and the right image 118. The measurement application 130defines a second stereo point for the second measurement pointdesignated in the left image 116 and the right image 118 at 1004. Asdescribed above, each stereo point corresponds to the x, y, zcoordinates of the common designated point in the left and right images116, 118 as determined from triangulation. The distance between thefirst and second measurement points is calculated as function of thecoordinate values of the first and second stereo points at step 1006. Atstep 1008, the calculated distances are displayed to the user via theimage management form. At step 1010, the reports are generated inresponse to input received from a user via the image management form.

When introducing elements of aspects of the invention or the embodimentsthereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to meanthat there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions, products,and methods without departing from the scope of aspects of theinvention, it is intended that all matter contained in the abovedescription and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpretedas illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for obtaining measurements of anobject, the system comprising: at least one processor; a first image ofthe object; a second image of the object, the second image correspondingto the first image; and a stereo image, comprising the first image andthe second image; and wherein the system is configured to: designate afirst measurement point in the first image; designate a secondmeasurement point in the first image; designate the first measurementpoint in the second image; designate the second measurement point in thesecond image; define a first stereo point that corresponds to the firstmeasurement point designated in the first and second images; define asecond stereo point that corresponds to the second measurement pointdesignated in the first and second images; calculate a distance betweenthe first stereo point and the second stereo point; identify a range ofpoints in the second image based on the first measurement pointdesignated in the first image; generate a selection assist line in thesecond image based on the range of points; identify another range ofpoints in the second image based on the second measurement pointdesignated in the first image; generate another selection assist line inthe second image based on the other range of points; determine firstpixel values adjacent to the first measurement point designated in thefirst image; dynamically designate the first measurement point in thesecond image based on other pixel values along the selection assist linethat match the determined first pixel values; determine second pixelvalues adjacent to the second measurement point designated in the firstimage; and dynamically designate the second measurement point in thesecond image based on second other pixel values along the otherselection assist line that match the determined second pixel values. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the system is further configured toreceive: a first user input for designating the first measurement pointin the first image; then, a second user input for designating the firstmeasurement point in the second image; then, a third user input fordesignating the second measurement point in the first image; and then, afourth user input for designating the second measurement point in thesecond image.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system furthercomprises a memory, and wherein the system is further configured tostore in the memory a plurality of stereo images.
 4. The system of claim3 wherein the plurality of stereo images is received from an imagecapture device.
 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the image capturedevice comprises a first camera and a second camera.
 6. The system ofclaim 5 wherein the memory is configured to store download history datafor each of the first and second images in the plurality of stereoimages.
 7. The system of claim 6 wherein the download history datacomprises metadata and intrinsic calibration data for the first andsecond cameras and a time and date that the first and second images ofeach of the plurality of the stereo images were received from the imagecapture device.
 8. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor isfurther configured to: process each of the plurality of stereo images todetermine if the first image and the second image of a particular stereoimage include images of a calibration pattern; determine stereocalibration data for the image capture device when the first and secondimages of the particular stereo image include the calibration pattern,the stereo calibration data comprising location information for thefirst camera relative to the second camera in a coordinate system of theimage capture device; and store the stereo calibration data.
 9. Thesystem of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured toassociate the stereo calibration data with another particular stereoimage of the plurality of stereo images based on the download historyfor that other particular stereo image when the first and second imagesof that other particular stereo image do not include the calibrationpattern.
 10. The system of claim 1 further comprising a calibrationpattern, wherein the first image and the second image of the stereoimage each includes an image of the calibration pattern.
 11. The systemof claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to create acustomized report comprising the calculated distance between the firststereo point and the second stereo point.
 12. The system of claim 11further comprising: reference stereo point data; and a measurementdatabase, wherein the measurement database is configured to store thereference stereo point data; and wherein the reference stereo point datacorrespond to at least one reference stereo point on the object; andwherein the processor is further configured to create the customizedreport comprising calculated distances selected from a group consistingof a first distance between the first stereo point and the second stereopoint, a second distance between the first stereo point and thereference stereo point, and a third distance between the second stereopoint and the reference stereo point.
 13. A system for obtainingmeasurements of an object, the system comprising at least one processor;a first image of the object; a second image of the object, the secondimage corresponding to the first image; and a stereo image, comprisingthe first image and the second image; and wherein the system isconfigured to: designate a first measurement point in the first image;designate a second measurement point in the first image; designate thefirst measurement point in the second image; designate the secondmeasurement point in the second image; define a first stereo point thatcorresponds to the first measurement point designated in the first andsecond images; define a second stereo point that corresponds to thesecond measurement point designated in the first and second images;calculate a distance between the first stereo point and the secondstereo point; a second stereo image comprising another first image andanother second image of an opposite portion of the object; wherein thesystem is further configured to: designate a first set of points in thefirst stereo image; designate a second set of points in the secondstereo image; define a central reference plane between the first set ofpoints and the second set of points; and calculate symmetry deviationsbetween each of the first set of points and each of the second set ofpoints as a function of the defined central reference plane.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13 wherein the first set of points comprises at leastthree points, and the second set of points comprises at least threepoints.
 15. A method for obtaining measurements of an object using atleast one processor, the method comprising: providing a stereo image,the stereo image comprising a first image and a second image of theobject; designating a first measurement point in the first image;designating a second measurement point in the first image; designatingthe first measurement point in the second image; designating the secondmeasurement point in the second image; defining a first stereo pointthat corresponds to the first measurement point designated in the firstand second images; defining a second stereo point that corresponds tothe second measurement point designated in the first and second images;calculating a distance between the first stereo point and the secondstereo point; identifying a range of points in the second image based onthe first measurement point designated in the first image; generating aselection assist line in the second image based on the range of points;determining first pixel values adjacent to the first measurement pointdesignated in the first image; dynamically designate the firstmeasurement point in the second image based on other pixel values alongthe selection assist line that match the determined first pixel values;identifying another range of points in the second image based on thesecond measurement point designated in the first image; generatinganother selection assist line in the second image based on the otherrange of points; determine second pixel values adjacent to the secondmeasurement point designated in the first image; and dynamicallydesignating the second measurement point in the second image based onsecond other pixel values along the other selection assist line thatmatch the determined second pixel values.
 16. The method of claim 15further comprising receiving: a first user input designating the firstmeasurement point in the first image; then, a second user inputdesignating the first measurement point in the second image; then, athird user input designating the second measurement point in the firstimage; then, a fourth user input designating the second measurementpoint in the second image.
 17. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising: providing a memory; and storing a plurality of stereo imagesin the memory.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the plurality ofstereo images is received from an image capture device.
 19. The methodof claim 18 wherein the image capture device comprises a first cameraand a second camera.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the memory isconfigured to store download history data for each of the first andsecond images in the plurality of stereo images.
 21. The method of claim20 wherein the download history data comprises metadata and intrinsiccalibration data for the first and second cameras and a time and datethat the first and second images of each of the plurality of the stereoimages were received from the image capture device.
 22. The method ofclaim 21 further comprising: processing each of the plurality of stereoimages to determine if the first image and the second image of aparticular stereo image include images of a calibration pattern;determining stereo calibration data for the image capture device whenthe first and second images of the particular stereo image include thecalibration pattern, the stereo calibration data comprising locationinformation for the first camera relative to the second camera in acoordinate system of the image capture device; and storing the stereocalibration data.
 23. The method of claim 22 further comprisingassociating the stereo calibration data with another particular stereoimage of the plurality of stereo images based on the download historyfor that other particular stereo image when the first and second imagesof that other particular stereo image do not include the calibrationpattern.
 24. The method of claim 15 wherein the first image and thesecond image each includes an image of a calibration pattern.
 25. Themethod of claim 15 further comprising creating a customized reportcomprising the calculated distance between the first stereo point andthe second stereo point.
 26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:providing reference stereo point data; providing a measurement database,wherein the measurement database is configured to store the referencestereo point data, and wherein the reference stereo point datacorrespond to at least one reference stereo point on the object; andcreating the customized report comprising calculated distances selectedfrom a group consisting of a first distance between the first stereopoint and the second stereo point, a second distance between the firststereo point and the reference stereo point, and a third distancebetween the second stereo point and the reference stereo point.
 27. Asystem for obtaining measurements of an object, the system comprising:at least one processor; a means for obtaining first image of the object;a means for obtaining second image of the object, the second imagecorresponding to the first image; and a stereo image, comprising thefirst image and the second image; and wherein the system includes meansfor: designating a first measurement point in the first image;designating a second measurement point in the first image; designatingthe first measurement point in the second image; designating the secondmeasurement point in the second image; defining a first stereo pointthat corresponds to the first measurement point designated in the firstand second images; defining a second stereo point that corresponds tothe second measurement point designated in the first and second images;calculating a distance between the first stereo point and the secondstereo point; identifying a range of points in the second image based onthe first measurement point designated in the first image; generating aselection assist line in the second image based on the range of points;determining first pixel values adjacent to the first measurement pointdesignated in the first image; dynamically designating the firstmeasurement point in the second image based on other pixel values alongthe selection assist line that match the determined first pixel values;identifying another range of points in the second image based on thesecond measurement point designated in the first image; generatinganother selection assist line in the second image based on the otherrange of points; determining second pixel values adjacent to the secondmeasurement point designated in the first image; and dynamicallydesignating the second measurement point in the second image based onsecond other pixel values along the other selection assist line thatmatch the determined second pixel values.
 28. The system according toclaim 27 wherein the means for obtaining the first image includesobtaining the first image from a database.
 29. The system according toclaim 27 wherein the means for obtaining the second image includesobtaining the second image from a camera.